My second book will be published by Lynne Rienner Publishers in August 2026.

For a short time, the book is on sale! Pre-order your copy today!

My first book with Charmaine N. Willis Ward (2024), Trading with Pariahs: Trade Networks and the Failure of Economic Sanctions, examines the the impact of economic sanctions on target states' trading relationships.

Our research seeks to examine under what conditions do sanctions fail to change the behavior of so-called international “pariah states,” countries who violate various international norms. Drawing on UN Comtrade data, Trading with Pariahs: Trade Networks and the Failure of Economic Sanctions shows that the imposition of sanctions can drastically change some states’ trading networks, as states either find new trading partners (in the case of North Korea) or feel the sting of the sanctions from key trading partners (like Iran). Trading networks (such as Myanmar’s) remain relatively stable over time as key trading partners refuse to impose sanctions. Through the theory of weaponized interdependence, Keith A. Preble and Charmaine N. Willis argue that the success or failure of sanctions to change target states’ behavior depends on whom imposes the sanctions. Sanctions imposed by the “right” sender states can be successful but also cannot rely solely on policies of isolation to achieve the goals of the sanctions.